


Sidetale

by under_the_blue_moonlight



Series: Sanders Sides / Undertale AU [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27670675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/under_the_blue_moonlight/pseuds/under_the_blue_moonlight
Summary: Long ago, two races ruled over earth: HUMANS, and the physical personifications of humanity’s personality traits, known as SIDES.One day, war broke out between the two races.The humans were victorious. They sealed the sides deep underground with a magic spell.Many years later, a child by the name of Frisk falls down Mt Ebott and enters the world of the sides.(Pacifist Route)
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Sanders Sides / Undertale AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023360
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Long ago, two races ruled over earth: HUMANS and the physical personifications of humanity’s personality traits, known as SIDES.

One day, war broke out between the two races. You see, the humans discovered a new ability the sides possessed: they could absorb the souls of humans who had died and become extremely powerful. The humans feared the sides would use this power to enslave them, and so started a war.

The humans were victorious, thanks to the strength of their souls. They sealed the sides deep underground with a magic spell, which created a barrier. Anything could enter this barrier, but nothing could leave. Only something as powerful as a human soul could. Side souls were too weak to pass.

Many years later...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk awakes in the Underground.

Frisk opened their eyes. Where were they? All they remembered was their name, and the sensation of falling... falling… God, their head hurt and their body ached...

They sat up, adjusting their glasses which had been knocked askew, before looking around themself. They were in a cavern, laying on a bed of golden flowers. It looked like they were trapped there, the only exit seeming to be the hole they must have fallen down through. However, that hole was hundreds of feet up - there was no way they’d be able to climb.

Then, they looked around and noticed a corridor. They got to their feet, brushing sticky flower seeds off of their blue polo shirt with two purple stripes, before making their way down the corridor. They found a doorway at the other end. It was purple, and engraved in an intricate pattern. Frisk took a deep breath, before and stepping through.

A flower was buried there, in a grassy patch in the centre of the room. It was golden, like the ones Frisk had fallen on, except this one was larger and, well… What was most odd about this flower was its face. Specifically, the fact it had one. A bright smiling face 

“Um... hello?” Frisk spoke, tentatively stepping towards the flower and out of the shadows. As they said it, the flower looked up to face them.

“Oh, howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower! Hm… you’re new to the Underground, aren't ya?”

Frisk nodded in response to the question. They couldn’t help but be unnerved by the giggle Flowey let out in response.

“Golly, you must be so confused! Someone should really show you how things work around here... I guess little ol’ me will have to do! Ready? Here we go!”

A glowing red heart suddenly appeared in front of Frisk. As well as that, there was a yellow bar, labelled as HP. It read 20/20.

“You see that heart? That is your SOUL - the very culmination of your being. Your soul is very weak right now, but it can grow stronger if you gain a lot of LV.”

“What’s LV?” Frisk asked.

‘It stands for LOVE, of course! Now, you want some LOVE, don’t you?” Flowey asked.

“...I’m pretty sure we’re both underage,” Frisk replied. “I mean, I’m fourteen.”

“No no no! NO!’ Flowey shook his head. “That is definitely not what I meant! Look, down here, LOVE is shared through little white friendliness pellets.” Said pellets appeared above his head. “Move around, get as many as you can.”

The pellets started to head towards Frisk. They were slightly hesitant, but they still went towards them and allowed them to hit their soul. As they did, a sharp pain flooded their body. Their HP dropped from 20 to 10.

Flowey started laughing menacingly, a grin spreading across his face. “You IDIOT! In this world, it’s kill or be killed! Who would pass up an opportunity like this?”

Friendliness pellets surrounded Frisk, blocking their escape.

“DIE!”

“Oh dear god…!” Frisk looked to their left and right as the pellets closed in, Flowey continuing to laugh maniacally. They shut their eyes, praying for some miracle to come and save them.

“Wait, what?!” they heard Flowey growl. They opened their eyes to see the pellets had disappeared. Suddenly a fireball flew from the darkness. It hit Flowey, ripping his roots from the grass and sending him sprawling. He growled, planting his roots back into the ground, before sinking down into the ground.

“Oh, shoot! I didn’t mean to hurt him! I just wanted to scare him away! I hope he’s not too badly injured… But I guess he deserved it, he was trying to hurt you...”

Frisk turned to the new voice as its owner stepped out from the dark. It was a man. He seemed about in his late twenties. He had ginger hair with a streak of light blue dyed in his fringe, and light blue eyes. He wore a light blue polo shirt with what looked like a grey cardigan, but on closer inspection was a cat hoodie, tied over shoulders. He had khakis and brown shoes. To finish the look, he wore a circular pair of glasses on his freckled face. He was just about average height, and looked rather strong. His whole get together seemed very...fatherly.

“Oh, heya, kiddo! Don’t worry, you don’t need to be scared of me. I’m Patton, I look after these here Ruins. I come here every day to see if anyone’s fallen down. You’re the first to come here in a long time. So, kiddo, what’s your name?”

“F-Frisk,” the child responded, still slightly weary.

“It’s nice to meet you! Come on, kiddo, I’ll guide you through here.” Patton reached out, offering his hand to Frisk. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

After a moment, Frisk accepted his hand. He smiled and led them from the room. As he did so, Frisk realised they could trust this man. He just gave off a kind, trustworthy, morally-good vibe. The smile he gave them was warm and, as they had observed before, fatherly.

Frisk’s attention was drawn from their saviour, however, as they entered the next room. They dropped their hand from Patton’s and made their way to the yellow star sitting in the middle of the purple room, surrounded by a ring of red fallen leaves. They poked it, wondering what it was, and a message appeared before them.

**_The shadow of the Ruins looms above, filling you with DETERMINATION._ **

**_HP fully restored._ **

**_File Saved._ **

The message disappeared. Frisk didn’t quite understand what it meant. They looked up to Patton, expecting him to explain.

“You coming, kiddo?” Patton asked, seemingly unable to see the message.

“Oh, um... yeah,” Frisk replied. “Sorry.”

And so, Patton began to lead Frisk through the Ruins. As they went, he told the child the story of the Underground. Apparently, those who lived down in there were known as sides. They were beings who personified the different aspects of humanity’s different personality traits. Patton himself represented morality, emotions and the heart in general. The humans had started a war with the sides and forced them underground.

He also explained how some sides in the Underground may want to attack and harm Frisk. Frisk asked why, but didn’t get a proper answer. They just assumed it was because they were human, and the sides probably really hated the humans after everything they did to them.

This was followed by Patton teaching Frisk how to defend themself by, not fighting, but by talking to and befriending others. They used a dummy to practice. It hadn’t been very talkative, but Patton had seemed happy with how Frisk did. 

Surprisingly, this tactic worked equally well in practice as it did in theory. After leaving the room with the dummy, Frisk was almost immediately approached by a side who was rather hostile at the sight of the human. Their attack had involved sending a swarm of flies at Frisk, and then a frog. Frisk was initially scared and wanted to respond with violence and defend themself. However, they took a deep breath, remembering what Patton had taught them. They managed to calm the side and befriend them - they even learnt the name of the side’s pet frog. It was Froggit!

Patton had grinned as the side happily walked away, waving to Frisk as they went. “Kiddo, that was perfect, I didn’t even have to intervene! I’m so proud!”

As they wandered further, Patton also helped Frisk get past different puzzles in the Ruins, which they honestly could have done alone, but they appreciated the assistance.

This is how it went, the two becoming closer and closer as they spent time together. Until they came to a long corridor.

“You’ve been doing amazingly, kiddo! I’m so proud!” Patton grinned, stopping at the beginning of the corridor. “But... I need you to do something. I, um… I want you to… to walk to the end of this corridor alone… I’m sorry!”

He turned and sprinted away.

Frisk immediately started running after him, concerned. Why had he seemed so upset at the notion of simply parting for a moment? Eventually, they came to the end of the corridor, where a stone column stood. Patton stepped out from behind it as they came close.

“Heya, kiddo! It’s okay, I didn’t leave. I’m sorry for lying, but there was an important reason for that: I had to test your independence. I’ve got some stuff to do and I’m gonna have to leave you alone for a bit. Oh, I know! I’ll give you a cell phone!” He reached into his pocket and handed Frisk a phone. “Call me if you need anything, okay? My contact should already be in there. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be right here. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you. See ya later, kiddo! Oh, and make sure you stay here in this room, don’t leave. It’s dangerous to go off alone, okay? Bye!”

Patton turned, waving, and left the room. Frisk waved in return as he turned the corridor.

And so, Frisk was left alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk decides to go against Patton's rules and explore a bit.

Frisk hung around the corridor for a bit as Patton had asked. They sat around, humming to themself, fiddling with the vines climbing up the purple brick wall. After a bit, they began to get bored, and started fiddling with their new phone. They ended up calling Patton a few times. At first, they just called to say hi and ask him a bit more about himself, but then they got an idea. They called him once more.

“Heya, kiddo!”

“Hi, Dad!”

Patton was silent for a moment, before Frisk heard him swallow a lump in his throat. “...Did you just call me...? Well, would that make you happy? Calling me ‘Dad’?”

Frisk nodded. “I mean… you’re an adult male who's taking care of me and acting as my guardian. That makes you a dad in my eyes.”

There was a sniffle on the other end of the line. “Awh, kiddo, you’re so sweet… Well, if that’s the case, sure, you can call me dad as much as you like! See ya later, kiddo!”

Patton hung up. Frisk slipped their phone in their pocket, sighing. As nice as that moment was, it faded fast. They were bored. Bored out of their mind.

“That’s it. I can’t sit around here. Sorry, Dad, looks like I’m going to disobey your one rule.”

They got to their feet and left the corridor. As they did so, their phone rang.

“Hey, kiddo! It’s me, Patton! Say, you haven’t left that room, have ya? There are a few puzzles ahead I haven’t explained yet.”

“... No, I’m still in there,” Frisk lied. As they did so, they swore they heard a slight chuckle from behind them.

“Oh, good! See ya in a bit, kiddo!”

Frisk slipped their phone back in her pocket and looked around the room they were now in. Another one of the star things was in front of them. They went up to it, stepping through a pile of leaves. They chuckled, kicking the leaves around and stepping on them, enjoying the satisfying crunch underneath their feet. They tapped the star.

**_Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with DETERMINATION._ **

**_HP fully restored._ **

**_File Saved._ **

Frisk explored the room, only to run into the side with the frog again! The two chatted for a bit, and the conversation ended with the side asking them to use mercy and spare, as Patton had taught, and not kill. Frisk promised.

They also found a room with a bowl of candy. It said take one, but they - gasp - took multiple! Only so they could heal up after fights with sides. Plus they didn’t take too many, just three.

They began to make their way through the Ruins. Whenever they came across a side acting hostile, they made friends with it before moving on. They made their way through multiple puzzles, managing to figure them out themself. At one point, their phone rang once again.

“Heya, it’s me again!” Patton’s voice spoke through it. “Say, for no reason in particular, do you prefer cinnamon or butterscotch?”

“Definitely butterscotch. Why’d you ask?” Frisk inquired.

“Oh, no reason! See ya in a bit, kiddo! Oh, no wait, you don’t dislike cinnamon, do you? I mean, I may know your preference, but you wouldn’t turn up your nose if you found cinnamon on your plate, would ya?”

“No, I like both.”

“Great! See ya, kiddo!”

Frisk put their phone away as Patton hung up and continued on.

As they went, they began to contemplate something. That flower, Flowey... how were they alive? How was it talking and sentient? All the sides they'd met had been humanoid - they represented the facets of _humanity's_ possible personalities after all. What was that flower doing here?

Soon, as Frisk made their way into another room further along, they were snapped from their contemplations about Flowey as they found their path blocked. Another side was led on the ground in the doorway, saying ‘Z’ out loud repeatedly, pretending to sleep. He had slightly dishevelled hair and dark bags under his eyes. He wore a black bath robe over a pair of blue pyjamas, and had slippers on his feet. He clearly couldn’t be bothered to get dressed in the morning. He was also slightly transparent, like a ghost.

“Um... Excuse me? Can I get past please? Hello?’”

Frisk sighed, realising this side would not move for them. They had no choice but to move it with force. They knelt down in front of it and went to give it a shove. Instead, however, their hands phased right through the side and they fell down. The side suddenly shot to his feet, and Frisk’s soul appeared in front of them.

**_Here comes Depression._ **

“Depression...?” Just seeing this side’s name filled Frisk with pity for him. After they stood back up, they decided to give him a patient smile.

“Heh, yeah that’s me… Sorry I was in your way. I always get in the way of everyone… I’m so worthless...” The ghost let out a strained sigh before sending his magic attack. Frisk only felt even more pity for him as he started crying, his tears flying towards them like projectiles.

Frisk dodged as many as they could but couldn’t help getting hit a couple of times. When it was their turn again, they decided to make a joke.

“Hey, Deppy - can I call you Deppy? - are there a ton of different people trapped down here or is it just you?”

“...Oh. Heh heh... I get it… ‘Cause we’re all personality traits, so we could make up one person…” Depression sighed. Frisk prepared to dodge another one of his attacks, but none came. Instead, a message was displayed.

_ Really not feeling up to it right now, sorry. _

“Oh, Deppy... I know things may seem hard and bleak, but with support you can get through this,” Frisk reassured, smiling again. “I may have only just met you, but I can tell you’re a good person. I’d be willing to give you any help you need.”

“Really? That’s… um…hey, can I... I want to show you something.” Depression started crying again. This time his tears floated upwards and started to form a hat on his head: a top hat. “I call it Dapperession. Do… do you like it?”

“That hat looks really good on you!” Frisk smiled, an idea forming in their mind. “But you know where it would look better?”

“W-Where? Oh, who am I kidding? It would look better on literally anyone or anywhere… What’s the point of me even asking when I already know that-”’

“On my bedroom floor.”

“Huh?! I… Uhhh…”

Frisk’s soul receded back into their chest while Depression stood there, staring at his feet, blushing.

“I usually come to the Ruins because there’s no one around, but today I met someone nice...” He paused, covering his mouth. “Oh, I’m rambling again. Sorry, I’ll get out of your way. Ooooooo...”

And, with that, he faded away before Frisk could say anything more to him.

Frisk made their way through the blocked doorway. They went into the next room along to find a small room with a sign and two spider webs. They went up to the sign.

_ Spider Bake Sale! All proceeds go to real spiders and the side willing to help them! _

Frisk raised their eyebrow before going up to the first spider web. A note read 8G. They pulled the money they had accumulated through their fights and placed 7G into the web. A donut with purple glazing and a white spiderweb pattern in icing slid down from the web into their hand. They checked the other web. This one’s note said 18G.

“18G? Screw that. I need to save up!” They turned and left the room and carried on through the Ruins.

They encountered more puzzles and sides, getting past all of them. They even found a ribbon laying around which they tied in their hair. After all, if they looked cuter, maybe sides wouldn’t hit them as hard. They also found a toy knife lying around, which they picked up, just in case.

Though they couldn’t help but wonder where these items had come from and why they were just lying around, untouched by any sides. Their condition made it seem like they had been there for ages. Literal years, possibly.

Frisk also died at one point. Yeah. More on that later.

Things only got curiouser and curiouser as Frisk continued to traverse through the Ruins. One of their talks with one of the sides had revealed something very interesting - other sides in the Ruins were apparently rather scared of Patton. Frisk was confused. Sure, Patton looked buff and rather strong, but he was also so kind and sweet. The idea it was possible to be intimidated by him was so strange. Maybe the other sides were being irrational… But at the same time, maybe there was more to Patton than what initially met the eye. 

After this long journey, Frisk finally made their way into the final room of the Ruins, where a leafless tree stood. Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice.

“That took longer than I thought it would... I hope Frisk’s okay...”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton shows Frisk around their new home.

Patton stepped into view next to the tree. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, dialling Frisk’s number. As he heard the sound of Frisk’s phone ringing, he looked up, eyes widening upon the sight of the child standing before him.

“How did you get here, kiddo?!” he asked, running up to them. He knelt down, checking over them for injuries. “Are you hurt? It’s okay, I’ll heal you!”

Patton placed a hand on Frisk’s head. A green glow came from his palm and spread around Frisk’s body. When it disappeared, they found themself with full HP.

“Thanks, Dad!” they smiled.

“Don’t thank me, kiddo. It’s my fault you’re hurt. Trying to surprise you like this was a bad idea… You’re just a child, I never should have left you alone. I should know better than that by now…”

“Surprise me?” Frisk asked, curious.

“Oh, um... Well, I guess I can’t hide it anymore, huh? Come on inside, kiddo!”

Patton turned and walked around the tree. Frisk followed to see a cosy purple brick house in front of them. Patton went inside, but Frisk went up to another star outside of it. As they had gone through the Ruins, they’d found out what they were: SAVE points, like in video games. They had gone through the painful experience of being killed by a side in the Ruins after not dodging an attack fast enough. They’d been terrified, thinking it was the end...

Until they’d opened their eyes to find themself next to the last star they’d interacted with. They had respawned. They could not die. It was a scary, yet reassuring power to have - especially in such an unusual situation as the one they were in.

Frisk tapped the star outside the house.

**_Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins fills you with DETERMINATION._ **

**_File Saved._ **

They turned and headed into the house after Patton. They found themself in a small entrance hall, with stairs that led down into a basement in front of them.

“Welcome to your new home, kiddo!” Patton smiled.

“It’s wonderful!” Frisk smiled, looking around. “What’s cooking? It smells delicious!”

“You know how I asked you whether you preferred cinnamon or butterscotch? Well, it’s because I baked us a cinnamon-butterscotch pie! Surprise! I think you’ll like it. People have told me it’s to  _ pie _ for!”

Frisk snorted at the dad joke. Patton smiled at their reaction. “And that’s not all. Come on!”

Patton took Frisk’s hand and practically ran into a corridor to the right. He came to a stop outside of the first door of the corridor.

“Ta da! A room of your own! I hope you like it, kiddo. It’s all yours.” He ruffled Frisk’s hair, and they giggled in response. “Wait, is something burning? Make yourself at home, kiddo, I have to check on the pie!” He turned and ran from the corridor. Frisk headed into the bedroom in front of them.

The room was nice and cosy. There were a bunch of stuffed toys by the bed, which was tucked in the corner. The closet was next to it. Frisk opened it to see it filled with polo shirts. They were rather similar to Frisk’s own, only they were green with a single yellow stripe. There were also red t-shirts with large yellow stars on the front. They reminded Frisk of Steven Universe’s shirt. Next to the closet was a box that was filled with shoes in a variety of sizes. Frisk probably would have questioned it if they weren't so tired. They let out a yawn before collapsing onto the bed.

By the time Patton pushed open their door to check on them, they were already fast asleep. The moral side smiled sadly, memories of someone he used to care for coming back. Frisk actually looked oddly like him...

He sighed. He had a habit of doing that; reminiscing about the past and getting stuck in the memories. He stepped further into the room and placed a plate on the floor, a slice of pie resting on top of it. He pulled the duvet over Frisk before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Later, Frisk opened their eyes. They stretched and rubbed their eyes, pushing the duvet off of them. They saw the pie slice on the ground and pushed themself off the bed. They took the pie slice and placed it in their inventory for later.

They left the room and decided to have a look around, continuing to head down the corridor until they reached the next door. They pushed it open and stepped inside.

Frisk found themself in another bedroom. The second they stepped inside, they felt the sweet embrace of yesteryear. They felt their emotions and inner child suddenly be empowered. Despite none of the items in the room being theirs, they felt an extreme sense of nostalgia. All around the bedroom were a number of different items: stuffed animals, academic awards, playbills from performances, old poems and stories written on loose leaf paper, and much more.

Frisk wandered through the room, looking around at the many trinkets and toys. Their eyes wandered to an open notebook on a desk. There was small passage circled in it, which read:

_ What does a nosy pepper do? Gets jalapeno business! _

Frisk sighed, chuckling slightly. They turned and continued looking around until they saw a speaker on top of the dresser. They went up to it and pressed the play button, curious. As the music started playing, their eyes widened.

“No way! Is that...? It is! The Rainforest Rap! Oh my god, I haven’t heard it in so long.” They paused, before joining in the rap. “Welcome to the jungle, it’s so exciting, exotic, mysterious and we are inviting you on an adventure, so pay attention please, to pythons, macaws and all other species!”

They sighed, laughing at themself before stopping the music. They continued to look around until they saw a picture frame, hanging on the wall. The picture within it kept changing. Frisk watched as it did so. Each of the pictures Frisk saw were similar: Patton doing a different activity with a different child.

The first showed him and a young girl, about seven, sat at a table, drawing. The girl had the same bow that Frisk currently had tied in her hair. She had light brown hair and light blue eyes.

The second showed Patton playing video games with a boy around Frisk’s age. He wore a bandanna with abs on it and a pair of gloves. He had black hair and orange eyes.

The third showed Patton sat in an armchair, applauding a girl dancing. The girl was wearing a pink tutu and ballet shoes. She had long black hair and dark blue eyes.

The fourth showed Patton sat on the floor in front of his armchair, which was being sat on by a boy. The boy was reading from a notebook to Patton, who was listening intently. The boy wore a pair of glasses and had dirty blonde hair and purple eyes.

The fifth showed Patton in a kitchen, baking with a boy. The boy wore a green stained apron and was pulling a batch of cookies from the oven as Patton pushed a tray of unbaked cupcakes inside. The boy had brown hair and green eyes.

The sixth showed Patton running around the house, laughing as he was chased by a girl. She wore a brown cowboy hat on her head and was holding an empty gun. She had dirty blonde hair and yellow eyes.

Then, after all those photos had gone by, another came up. But this one was different; this one had more than two people in it.

Patton was there, obviously, but his outfit was slightly different. The logo on his polo shirt was not his signature heart with glasses. His cat hoodie was also replaced with a grey cardigan.

There were three other people in the image. Stood next to Patton was another side. He had brown hair, the fringe dyed yellow, and yellow eyes. There was a bowler hat sitting on his head, and he wore a black jacket with yellow lining, a black capelet, and black trousers. The most unusual and outstanding feature of his, though, was the left half of his face. It was scaled, just like a snake’s. He even had a slitted pupil and an unhingeable jaw on that side to match.

Patton’s arms were wrapped around this mysterious snake side, who was nuzzling into him in return. They looked so… happy.

In front of the two adults were two children. One, a boy, had the signature dyed fringe of the sides (his was rainbow), so Frisk guessed he was a side as well. He wore a red shirt with a yellow star, like the ones in Frisk’s closet, and jeans. He was laughing and was carrying a bundle of buttercups.

The other child was also a boy. Frisk couldn’t see his face as he was holding a bunch of yellow flowers, which were covering it. He had brown hair, a slightly lighter shade than Frisk’s, but it was cut the same way. He wore a green and yellow striped polo shirt, again, like the ones in Frisk’s closet. He seemed to wear glasses, like Frisk’s, and had the same skin tone. It was uncanny how similar they looked.

Frisk guessed that all the children were humans who had fallen down, like they had. Where were they now? Had they eventually left and returned to the human world? And who were the other two sides in the final image? Patton looked happy with them... What happened? Why weren’t they around?

Frisk turned and had one last look around the room. The nostalgia, the strong thoughts about the past... It was making them, well, homesick. They couldn’t even remember their life on the surface, but they wanted to go home. They headed to the door and left the room. They went down the corridor and stepped into the living room of the house.

Patton was sitting in his armchair, laughing as he read a book. He looked up when he heard Frisk’s footsteps.

“Oh, hey, kiddo! Hope you’re all nice and refreshed after your nap,” he greeted. He paused before smiling fondly. “I want you to know that I’m really happy to have you living here. There’s so much we can do! I can make you my special pasta, we can watch cartoons, and we can bake together! And I’ve even made a curriculum for your education. I’m not a very good teacher, but I know someone who has a friend who is, so I got a bit of help with organising it.”

“Um... Dad? I need to ask you something,” Frisk sighed, knowing what they were about to ask would break his heart. And given he was the embodiment of the heart, they were terrified of what would happen.

“What is it, kiddo?” Patton asked.

“...When can I go home?”

Patton froze for a second. “... Th-this is your home now, kiddo! I... Would you like to hear about the book I’m reading? It’s called ‘101 Dad Jokes’. How about it?”

“Dad, please tell me how to leave the Ruins!” Frisk begged. “I want to go to my home on the surface. To my family.”

Patton’s eyes started to look glossy. “I-I... H-how about a dad joke? Say, why do flamingos sleep with one leg in the air?”

“Dad…”

“Because if they slept with both up they’d fall over! Hahaha! G-Get it? I-It’s funny, right?”

“Dad, please. Please let me go home. I appreciate that you want me to stay, and you’ve prepared so much for me, but… I don’t belong here. I know it, and you do too, deep down.”’

Patton stared at Frisk, betrayal, fear and sadness on his face. He swallowed the lump in his throat before getting to his feet. “I have something I need to take care of. Stay here.”

He turned and left the room. Frisk immediately followed him. He ran down the stairs to the basement and Frisk went down after him. They found themself in a purple corridor. Patton had stopped in the middle of it, realising he’d been followed.

“You want to go ‘home’, right? Ahead of us lies the exit from the Ruins: a one-way ticket to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave here again. Now, be a good child and go upstairs.”

Patton continued down the corridor, and Frisk followed, until he paused again.

“Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I’ve seen it again and again. They come, they leave, they die. Kiddo, if you leave, they...  _ Janus _ ... will kill you. I’m only trying to protect you. Please, just go to your room.”

Patton continued on until he came to a corner, where he paused yet again.

“Don’t try and stop me. This is the last warning I’m giving you.”

Frisk followed Patton until he stopped outside a large door.

“Dad, please don’t… I have to do this.”

“You want to leave that badly.” Patton let out a strained, pained chuckle. “You’re just like the others. There is only one way to settle this... Prove yourself.”

He turned, fireballs in each of his hands.

“Prove to me you’re strong enough to survive!”

Frisk’s soul appeared in front of them.

“What...? No, please, Dad! We can talk about this! Plea- AAH!”

They screamed as a fireball grazed their arm. Immediately, they tried dodging the other flames soaring towards them. Patton was throwing them over and over, though he did look a little reluctant.

Soon, he came to a stop, and it was Frisk’s turn. Talking seemed to have no use, so what were they supposed to do?! They didn’t want to hurt him!

They decided to check his stats.

**_Patton – ATK 80 DEF 80_ **

**_Knows best for you._ **

Patton threw more fire at them. This time, Frisk was paying more attention and was able to see the pattern of flames and avoided being hit as much. Their next turn came up. What now...?

Suddenly, they remembered something that a side had told them in the Ruins:

_ “Remember, sometime, you may need to spare someone even if they’re not ready to accept your mercy.” _

“I REFUSE TO FIGHT YOU, PATTON!” they yelled at the top of their voice.

Patton did not respond, though he did look slightly more reluctant as he threw more fire.

Frisk continued to spare at each of their turns. Patton’s reluctance began to turn to annoyance.

“What are you doing?!” he demanded, flinging more flames.

“I’m not fighting you,” Frisk stood their ground.

“Attack or run away!”

“Never!”

This time, as Frisk prepared to dodge, they found themself not needing to. The fireballs moved away from them. Patton didn’t want to hurt them, and now found himself unable to.

“What are you proving this way?!” Patton asked as Frisk continued to insist on showing him mercy, refusing to pull the toy knife from their pocket. “Fight me or leave!”

Again, Frisk refused. “I won’t, Dad.”

“Stop it,” Patton demanded, voice breaking slightly at the use of the name ‘Dad’. “Stop looking at me that way.” As Frisk spared him again, tears began building in his eyes and he let out a strangled cry. “GO AWAY!”

“Dad... I will never hurt you.”

Patton didn’t respond, closing his eyes tightly and he held out his hands, sending more fire to Frisk’s left and right, but still avoiding them.

Frisk spared and spared, Patton looking even more upset and reluctant each time.

Until, finally, he lowered his hands.

“I... I know you want to go home, but... please go upstairs now,” he tried to convince Frisk, eyes pleading with them. “I promise I’ll take good care of you. I know we don’t have much, but... we can have a good life here.”

“I need to go home. I don’t belong here. I’m not a side, I’m a human,” Frisk replied. “You’re an amazing person, friend and father figure, but... I can’t stay.”

“Why are you making this so difficult?” Patton sighed, more tears streaming down his face. “Please, go upstairs.”

“I have to leave.”

“... Ha... Ha…” Patton let out a strangled laugh. “Pathetic, isn’t it? I can’t save even a single kid…” He paused. “No, I... I understand. You’d be unhappy stuck down here. The Ruins are kinda small once you get used to them. It’s not right for you to be raised here... especially by someone who will never be able to understand the full range of your personality. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... I’ll put them aside for you, kiddo.”

Frisk’s soul disappeared back into their chest.

“If you want to leave the Ruins, kiddo, I’m not gonna stop you,” Patton continued. “But, when you go... please, don’t come back. I hope you understand.”

He paused before falling to his knees and grasping Frisk into a tight embrace. Frisk felt tears welling in their own eyes and the two of them stayed there, sobbing into each other’s shoulders for about a minute. Eventually, though, Patton released his grip.

“Goodbye, kiddo,” he smiled sadly before turning and beginning to walk away.

“Goodbye, Dad,” Frisk turned around to face him. “I love you.”

Patton paused. He turned to Frisk one last time. “I love you too.”

And with that, Patton turned away and left, leaving Frisk alone. The child turned and took a deep breath.

Frisk stepped forward and pushed the door open.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk leaves the Ruins, and enters a new snowy scape.

Frisk found themself in a long purple corridor that they immediately started running down until they came to another doorway. It was carved in the exact same intricate design as the first one they had seen in the underground. They stepped through to see they were in a dark, empty room. Well, empty except for one flower. Frisk groaned at the sight of him.

“Clever. Very clever,” Flowey smirked. “You think you’re really smart, don’t you? In this world, it’s kill or be killed! So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person!” He let out an evil chuckle. “I bet you feel really great. You didn’t kill anybody this time, but what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You’ll die and you’ll die and you’ll die, until you tire of trying. And what will you do then? Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world and let me inherit the power to control it?!”

Frisk froze. The power to control it? Did he mean saving? How did he know about that?!

“I am the prince of this world’s future!” Flowey continued. “Don’t worry, my little monarch. My plan isn’t regicide. This is so much more interesting!”

Flowey laughed maniacally before sinking down into the floor once again.

Frisk raised an eyebrow as they made their way across the room. What was that flower planning? Did he really know about their ability to save?

They arrived at another door. They paused, looking back behind them, hand resting on the door handle. They were going to leave Patton for good. He’d told them explicitly not to come back. Would… would they regret this? Should they turn back around and go live a comfortable domestic life with Patton?

… No. No, they needed to return home.

They pushed the door open and stepped out of the Ruins.

Cold. The first thing they noticed was the cold.

Snow was covering the ground they were standing on, a forest stretching out in front of them. There was a bush just to their left. Frisk couldn’t help but notice something shining in it. They peered in through the leaves and their eyes widened to see a security camera staring back at them.

They straightened up and turned, starting to make their way down the path through the trees. They didn’t exactly feel comfortable staying where the security camera was spying on them. Suddenly, however, they heard the crunching of snow behind them. They quickly turned. There were footprints in the snow other than their own, but they suddenly vanished. Frisk, growing more than slightly scared, and continued their way down the path, walking a lot faster this time. Again, there were footsteps behind them. This time they didn’t look around. Instead they started running as fast as they could. Soon, they came to what seemed to be a gate, however the gaps in it were big enough to walk through. They froze as the\y realised the footsteps were right behind them...

“Human. Don’t you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand.”

Frisk, shaking, turned to the stranger. There were shadows covering the figure so they were unable to see what they looked like. Their hand was stretched out. Frisk hesitated before taking it.

_Pffffffffffftttttttt!_

The figure let out a chuckle as the shadows disappeared. It was another side. This one had black hair - the fringe dyed purple - that was styled in bangs that were hanging over his black eyeshadow-covered eyes. He wore a purple and black patched hoodie, purple shirt and black ripped skinny jeans. His look was finished with a pair of black combat boots with purple laces.

“The whoopie cushion in the hand trick; perfect for avoiding awkward, scary first introductions,” he explained, showing Frisk the red prank item in his hand. “Anyway… you’re a human, right? Cool. I’m Virgil. I’m technically supposed to be looking out for humans, but I don’t really wanna capture anyone.”

“Oh, thank god!” Frisk let out a sigh of relief. “My name’s Frisk, by the way. Hey, here’s a hint: If you don’t wanna bring someone harm, don’t act all shadowy and ominous and walk up behind them in the middle of a spooky forest. You kinda gave me the wrong idea.”

“Yeah, guess I should’ve thought that through…But what can I say?” Virgil shrugged. “I love the spooky aesthetic. Anyway, while I’m not gonna hurt you, my roommate, Roman, is a human hunting fanatic! Just thought I should let you because Snowdin is his turf. Hold on... shit, he’s coming this way! Uh... um... oh, I know. Follow me.”

Virgil headed through the ‘gate’ and Frisk followed until they came to a clearing. There was a sentry station standing there and ...a lamp?

“Quick, hide behind that conveniently shaped lamp,” Virgil said, pointing at it. Frisk complied, amazed to find the lamp was exactly their shape and size, perfect to hide behind.

They looked up as they heard footsteps crunching in the snow. Another side made their way into the clearing from the other side. This side was a stark contrast to Virgil. He had perfectly styled dark auburn hair, the fringe dyed red, tanned skin, polished black boots, a white prince outfit with a golden trim and black pants, and a red sash to finish the dramatically fabulous look.

“Sup, Princey,” Virgil smirked at the new arrival.

“You know what’s up, Virgil,” Roman replied, folding his arms. “It’s been eight days and you still haven’t recalibrated your puzzles! You just sit around outside your station. What are you even doing?”

“Just staring at this lamp. It’s pretty cool,” Virgil replied. “You wanna look?”

Roman groaned. “No. I don’t have time for that! What if a human comes through here, Virgil?! I need to be ready! I will be the one! I must be the one! I will capture a human! Then, I, the Great Roman, will get all the things I utterly deserve. Respect, recognition... I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard! People will ask to be my… ‘friend’? I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning!”

“Well... maybe this lamp’ll help you?” Virgil shrugged.

“Verge, you are not helping! Maybe you’d actually be helpful if you weren’t so afraid to take risks,” Roman replied.

‘I’m the literal embodiment of anxiety, what do you expect?’ Virgil rolled his eyes.

“It’s just annoying! You just sit and... boondoggle! You get lazier and lazier every day!”

“C’mon, take it easy,” Virgil shrugged. “I got a ton of work done today.” A grin appeared on his face as he held out his hand. A bone suddenly appeared in it. “A skele-ton!”

There was a sound of a rim-shot and Virgil sent a wink at Frisk, who was stifling a giggle from where they were still hiding behind the lamp. Roman groaned again, though he did have a slight smile on his face.

“Seriously? You know your puns are terrible, right?”

“Eh, what can I say? I’ve been learning from the best. He’s the king of dad jokes.”

Frisk froze. Was he talking about Patton? Patton had definitely been the king of bad puns. Heck, he had an entire book of dad jokes! But how did Virgil know him? Patton had never left the Ruins and seemed not to trust those on the other side of the door, so Virgil can’t have met him. Frisk guessed it must just be someone else who loves puns…

“C’mon, Ro, you’re smiling,” Virgil continued.

“I am and I hate it!” Roman sighed. “Why does someone as great as me have to do so much just to get some recognition...?”

“Huh, sounds like you’re really working yourself…” Virgil made yet another bone in his hands. “Down to the bone!”

“...You know Logan would kill you if he were here, right?”

“Yeah, well, he’s not here now, so I can make as many puns as I want without the risk of him losing it,” Virgil shrugged.

“Anyway,” Roman sighed, “I must return to my puzzles. As for your work, put a little more…” He made a bone appear in his own hand. “Backbone into it!”

He laughed at his own joke, before he turned and walked away the way he came, singing I Won’t Say I’m In Love to himself as he went. Frisk couldn’t deny, he had a beautiful voice.

“Okay, you can come out now,” Virgil’s voice rang out to them. They stepped out from behind the lamp and went up to the emo side. “You might wanna get going. He might come back. I’m not gonna lie, I was internally screaming that entire time. If he had been standing just a little bit to the right, he would have seen you. Then he would have killed me.”

Frisk laughed. “Sure. Well, it was nice to meet you, Virgil. See you around.” They turned and began to leave the clearing but before they could, Virgil stopped them.

“Actually, hey, hate to bother ya, but... can I ask you something? The thing is, Roman’s been kinda down lately. He’s never seen a human before and seeing you might just make his day. Don’t worry, he’s not dangerous, even if he tries to be.”

“Sure. Maybe I’ll be able to make a new friend to add to my list: Morality, Anxiety and...?”

“Creativity,” Virgil told them. “Well, one half of it. The family friendly half. Oh, and please don’t tell him I helped you hide. I’ll literally have a panic attack if you do.”

“I thought he wasn’t dangerous?” Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, he’s not. It’s just... it’s complicated. You don’t wanna hear it…”

He paused as he saw Frisk sat on the ground, head resting on their palms, leaning forward in interest. Virgil sighed.

“Fine. The thing is, when Roman and I first arrived in Snowdin – that’s what this part of the Underground is called by the way – we didn’t really get along. We didn’t even know each other. We were forced to move in together because no other houses were available. From the very start, we were destined to hate each other. I was the edgy, dark, introverted emo and he was the Disney-loving, extroverted theatre geek who had dreams to join the Royal Guard. He resented me, having a plethora of nicknames and insults, and I just fell into the role, acting like this sassy arrogant jerk that I’m just not. The factors of personality we embody didn’t help. Roman’s all about chasing dreams and saw me as something that holds people back. He saw me as a villain, as a mental illness that only exists to bring people pain. Heck, we didn’t even know each other’s names! We just referred to each other as Princey and Anxiety.

“However, thanks to some help from Logan, Remus and King Janus and some advice from a new friend of mine, we started to work things out. I stopped acting like an asshole, and Roman stopped seeing me as a mental disorder, instead viewing me as vigilance, caution and self-preservation. Things have gotten a lot better. We, obviously, told each other our names. Sure, we tease and annoy each other a bit, but it’s all in good fun. We’re really close friends. But that doesn’t change the fact I’m a walking ball of anxiety. I’m always scared that I’ll do something that will undo all the progress we’ve made, and he’ll hate me again. I don’t want to lose our friendship, y’know?”

As he finished speaking, Virgil looked up at Frisk, who was smiling brightly..

‘What?’ he asked.

“You’re such a softie under that dark and edgy exterior…” they grinned. “Look at you all, caring about your friendships.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have places to be? Sides to reveal yourself to?”

“Okay, okay, I’m on it!” Frisk pushed themselves to their feet. “See you around, Virgil.” They turned and walked off.

Virgil sighed, trying to wipe the embarrassed blush from his face as he walked back down the path that led to the door to the Ruins.

Meanwhile, Frisk came to another clearing where the path split off in two. There was another save point which they accessed.

**_The convenience of that lamp still fills you with DETERMINATION._ **

**_HP fully restored_ **

**_File Saved_ **

They turned to see a brown box just in front of her with a sign next to it.

_This is a box. You can put an item inside or take an item out. The same box will appear later, so don’t worry about coming back. Sincerely, a box lover._

“I’d ask how the box can teleport, but I’m stuck in an underground world filled with living personality traits that can use magic, so I won’t question it,” Frisk shrugged to themself as they opened the box. They reached inside to see a single orange tough glove. It looked a lot like one of the ones the boy in the second image at Patton’s house had been wearing.

They took the toy knife out of their pocket and placed it in the box before slipping the glove on their hand. They closed the box shut, before deciding to go up the path heading north. They found themself standing on a river bank where a fishing rod was affixed to the ground. They decided to wind it up. There was a note hung on the end of it.

_Call me! Here’s my number:_

“I’m not gonna call…” Frisk turned and went back to the crossroads. This time, they headed east.

Roman and Virgil were standing just a bit further down the path. Frisk was extremely confused at the sight of Virgil specifically. Hadn’t he gone the other way?

Frisk pushed the thought aside and stepped forward.

“So, as I was saying about Remus- “ Roman paused, seeing Frisk stood before him. He looked back at Virgil, who looked at Frisk. The two sides proceeded to look back and forth, getting faster and faster, until their necks began to hurt and Roman finally called out. “Oh my Disney! Verge, is that... a human?!”

“Actually, I think that’s a rock,” Virgil replied, nodding to a large stone just behind Frisk.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely talking about the rock,” Roman rolled his eyes. “I mean in front of it!”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a human.”

Roman’s smile returned. “GREAT ODIN’S EYEPATCH! Verge! I finally did it! Remus will... I’m gonna be so... Popular, popular, pop-u-oo-lar!” He sang the final word to the tune of the song Popular from Wicked. He cleared his throat before putting on a more strong, intense voice. “Human! You shall not pass this area. I, the Great Roman, will stop you! I will then capture you. You will be delivered to the Capital. Then... then...! I’m not sure what’s next. But, in any case, proceed only if you dare!”

He turned and marched off proudly. However, when he was a bit of a distance away and thought he couldn’t be seen, he did a little victory dance.

“Well, that went well.” Virgil turned to Frisk. “Don’t worry, Frisk. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“Thanks. See ya.” Frisk waved and started back on the path. Their mind couldn’t help but wander, though… How on earth had Virgil seemingly teleported? Frisk couldn’t help but think there were some things about the anxious side that he wasn’t letting on…

Oh well. Frisk couldn’t dwell on that now. They had a journey to continue.

They continued on, but as they entered a clearing, their phone suddenly rang. Their eyes lit up. “Patton?!” They excitedly answered. 

The voice on the other end was clearly not Patton. His jovial tone wasn’t there, this person instead sounding like they were trying to be formal and serious, but nerves were slipping into their tone.

“U-uh… (Oh my god, help…) Uh, salutations. I’d like to order a, um, a pizza? With, uh, the toppings are, uh… I have them copied, I’ll just just paste them to you.”

Apparently Frisk’s phone was too old to read texts, as it automatically read out the message. Except the message wasn’t pizza toppings - it sounded like… an extract of self-insert Sherlock Holmes fanfiction?

“...” Whoever had called Frisk hung up before they could be told they had the wrong number.

“Well… that was weird…” Frisk tucked their phone back into their pocket, before continuing on. Just in front of them was what looked like a guard station similar to Virgil’s earlier. Only this one was made of an old large cardboard box and had something written in pen on it in swirly fancy handwriting. Frisk went over and gave it a read.

 _You observe the well-crafted sentry station. “Who could have built this?” you ponder. “I bet it was that very famous Royal Guardsman!”_ _  
_ _Note: not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman_

Frisk chuckled. “Oh, Roman…” They stood up straight, before continuing to run along, excited to see what the roommates with skeleton powers had in store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been rewatching Jacksepticeye's playthrough, and I had to include the wrong number call FUN event that he got after seeing it


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman brings out the puzzles in full force.

As Frisk made their way through the Snowdin, they encountered yet more sides, including a group who were members of the Royal Guard that Roman so desperately wanted to be a part of. Though, for a specially trained guard, they weren’t exactly very hard to defeat. Frisk couldn’t help but wonder why Roman wasn’t a part of them yet if that was how low their standards were for soldiers...

At one point, Frisk found Virgil leaning against a tree. He gestured for them to come over to him.

“Hey, here’s something important to remember. Roman has a very special attack. If you see a blue attack, don’t move and they won’t hurt you. Here’s an easy way to remember it: Imagine a stop sign. When you see a stop sign, you stop, right? Stop signs are red. So, imagine a blue stop sign instead.”

“Got it,” Frisk nodded. “Blue stop signs. Thanks, Verge.”

And so, they continued down the path. Soon, however, they found their path blocked. There was a large square on the ground where the snow had been cleared and, on the other side of it, Roman and Virgil stood. They couldn’t help but be confused at Virgil’s appearance there yet again. They hadn’t seen him pass them at all. How had he gotten there?

“It’s your own fault you’re tired,” Roman was lecturing his emo counterpart. “You didn’t get to sleep until six in the morning!”

“Because I was unable to sleep due to the fear of everything I didn’t get done yesterday and the stuff I have to do today, plus every single mistake I’ve ever made replayed in my mind, almost giving me a panic attack,” Virgil replied.

“...We need to get you some professional help.”

“That won’t help. I am the literal embodiment of anxiety. You kill the anxiousness, you kill me,” Virgil shrugged.

“Well, can’t we at least find a way to tone it down? You know what Logan’s told you about the importance of a proper sleeping schedule.”

“His argument would probably have more weight behind it if he followed it himself. He can’t hide the fact he spends all night awake working, watching Doctor Who, and stuffing his face with Crofters.”

“Hold that thought, Verge!” Roman suddenly yelled. He had finally noticed Frisk. “It seems the human has arrived! Human, in order to stop you, Virgil and I have created some puzzles. I think you’ll find this one quite  _ shocking _ . For, you see, this is the invisible electricity maze! When you touch the walls of this maze, this orb,” he held up said orb, “will administer a hearty zap! Sound like fun? Because the amount of fun you’ll probably have is actually rather small, I think. Okay! You can go ahead now.”

Frisk stepped forward onto the cleared square. Suddenly, there was a loud zap and Roman was electrocuted.

“Virgil! What did you do?!” he growled, attempting to tame his now wild hair.

“I didn’t do anything!” Virgil replied, raising his hands. “But... I think the human has to hold the orb.”

“Oh... right. I knew that!” Roman replied before stepping forward. He walked through the maze, having memorised the pattern perfectly. "Here, take this," he said, placing the orb on Frisk’s head.

“Thanks,” Frisk rolled their eyes, chuckling slightly as they took it off their head and held it in their hand. Roman had made his way back to the other side, unaware that his footprints in the snow showed the exact path to take. Frisk just had to follow them, and they got to the other side without a scratch.

“Incredible!” Roman gasped. “You solved it so easily! Too easily... However, the next puzzle will not be so easy! It is designed by Virgil here. You will surely be confounded. I know I am!”

He then turned and strutted off, this time singing I’ll Make a Man Out of You.

“Are all you sides good singers?” Frisk asked, going up to Virgil.

“Well, that’s up for interpretation,” the emo shrugged. “Hey, thanks. Ro seems like he’s having fun. By the way, did you see that outfit he has on? We made that a couple years ago for a costume party. He hasn’t worn anything else since. Well, that’s not exactly true. We made one prince outfit, but he wore it out and got bored of it, so we made a completely new and improved one. He also insisted I change up my outfit then, and I was kinda digging my purple hair so decided to add some purple to my outfit.”

“Yeah, that’s a question I’ve had for a while: why do all the sides have coloured streaks in their hair?” Frisk asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” Virgil replied. “It’s just a thing we’ve always had. Everyone gets their own colour.”

“It looks cool. Sort of makes me want to dye my hair,” Frisk replied. “Well, I’d better get going. See ya later, Verge.”

“See ya, Frisk.”

And so, Frisk continued. They ended up buying a treat called a ‘Nice Cream’ from a side who was selling them from a cart. It was basically a normal ice cream with a compliment on the wrapper. They also came across a golf style game involving kicking a snowball, Virgil trying to sell fried snow, and yet another camera staring at them from where it was hidden in a lump of snow. It wasn’t long, however, until Frisk encountered the dynamic duo again.

“Human, I hope you’re ready for…” Roman froze, looking around. “Virgil, where’s the puzzle?”

“Right there,” Virgil replied, gesturing to a piece of paper on the ground. “Trust me. There’s no way they can get past this one.”

Frisk stepped forward and picked up the paper, finding it to be a word search. A pen was also on the ground, which they picked up as well, and they started circling words. It wasn’t long until they were done.

“That didn’t do anything, Surly Temple!” Roman yelled at Virgil.

“Well, neither did yours.”

“...Touché. Well, I must go and prepare the next puzzle. I will capture you, human. No matter how long it takes!” Roman turned and ran off, singing once again. Virgil sent Frisk a two-fingered wave before following his roommate.

Frisk proceeded to continue down the path, becoming confused when they found a television sitting in the snow. The screen was paused on a black screen with white lettering. It read, ‘The Mind Palace Theatre presents: The Greatest Showman’. Next to the television, a note lay.

_ Human, please enjoy this marvellous performance I took part in earlier this year! (Little do you know, this DVD is a trap, designed to entice you. You’ll be so busy watching it, you won’t realise that you aren’t progressing. Thoroughly japed again by the Great Roman!) _

_ \- Roman _

Frisk chuckled to herself as they dropped the note. They lifted the remote for the TV from the floor.

“I’m getting pretty tired from all this walking. May as well take a break.”

They got comfy on the ground before pressing play. It was amazing how good it was for a musical put on by a society that was stuck under the ground. Roman was by far the best one on that stage. His voice was incredible, and he really got in character as P.T. Barnum. There was only one person that came close to his performance. At first, Frisk thought it was Depression, as he was also a ghost. However, this side was much too upbeat to be him. This side played Philip in the production. He also had an amazing voice. He also was, despite playing a character, wearing sunglasses?

Once the show was over and the DVD stopped, Frisk applauded. They guessed that Roman was probably watching them from afar, and if they wanted to become his friend, they needed to get in his good books. They stood, brushing snow off their jeans before accessing the nearby save point and moving on.

They ended up coming across another of Roman’s puzzles later, which required them to step on buttons to turn the Xs on them into Os in order to retract a bunch of spikes blocking their path. It didn’t take them long. Roman was standing on the other side of the spikes and his eyes widened as he saw Frisk walk over to him.

“What?! How did you avoid my trap? And, more importantly... what did you think? You know, of my performance?”

“I loved it!” Frisk replied. “You’re an incredible actor and singer.”

“Really?!” Roman’s face burnt red. “I-I mean, naturally! I am the best actor in the Underground. Maybe, before I capture you, I could give you a private performance sometime.”

The two of them proceeded and Frisk solved another X and O puzzle with some help from Roman. It seemed the side was warming up to them. After, he ran on ahead. Frisk followed and found themself standing before a grey tiled floor. Roman and Virgil were standing on the other side of the tiles, next to a machine.

“Human, you are going to love this puzzle!” Roman grinned. “It was made by the great Dr Logan! You see these tiles? Once I throw this switch, they will begin to change colour. Each colour has a different function. Red tiles are impassable, you cannot walk on them. Yellow tiles are electric, they will electrocute you. Green tiles are alarm tiles, if you step on them, you will have to fight a side. Orange tiles are orange scented, they will make you smell delicious. Blue tiles are water tiles, swim through if you like. However, if you smell like oranges, the piranhas will bite you. Also, if a blue tile is next to a yellow tile, the water will also zap you. Purple tiles are slippery, you will slide to the next tile. However, the slippery soap smells like lemons, which piranhas do not like. Purple and blue are okay. Finally, pink tiles. They don’t do anything, step on them all you like. How was that? Understand?”

“Uhhh…” Frisk had no clue. The information had gone in one ear and out the other. Not to mention Roman had been talking really quickly so it was hard to take it all in. “Sure.”

_ Why the heck did I say that?! _

“Great!” Roman smiled. “Then there’s one last thing. This puzzle is completely random! When I pull this switch, it will make a puzzle that has never been seen before. Not even I will know the solution. Get ready!” Roman threw the switch.

Frisk’s eyes widened at the grey tiles transformed into bright rainbow colours before flickering and switching, generating a brand-new combination. It got faster and faster until suddenly...

It came to a stop. It was red with a path of pink down the middle.

Roman was frozen, silent. Then, finally, he took a deep breath in before turning and walking off. After a few seconds, yells of frustration came from the distance. Virgil rolled his eyes as Frisk made their way across the pink tiles and went up to the anxious side.

“Welp, guess that made things easy for you. Too bad for Ro, though…”

“Yep,” Frisk nodded. “... Will he be okay?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine, kid, don’t worry. You’ve actually helped him, especially with what you said about that DVD from earlier. You know, his performance in that wasn’t too bad for Ro. Since he started getting drama lessons, he’s been improving a lot.”

“He is really talented,” Frisk agreed. “But he is Creativity, so I’m not surprised. By the way, who’s this Logan person you keep mentioning?”

“The embodiment of Logic. He’s a good friend of ours. You’ll probably meet him later when you enter Hotland.”

“Hotland?”

“There are four areas in the Underground. This is Snowdin, as I’ve already said. Next’s Waterfall, then Hotland and finally the Capital. That’s where the King’s castle is.”

“Janus, right?” Frisk inquired.

“Yep. King Janus Sanders,” Virgil nodded. “Anyway, I should probably get going. Sir Sing A Lot is probably waiting for me. See ya later, Frisk.”

He turned and wandered off. Frisk themself continued on yet again. They came across a side building a snowman, another X and O puzzle, a hidden locked door and numerous snow poffs. Eventually, they found themself walking across a bridge. They were almost at the other side when they saw, you can probably guess...

“Human!” Roman called from where he was standing, blocking the end of the bridge. “This is your final and most dangerous challenge! Behold, the gauntlet of deadly terror!”

It was accurately named as Frisk was filled with terror upon the site of the contraption. A flamethrower, a mace, two spears, a cannon and... a white pomeranian on a rope? They tried not to question that last one.

“When I say the word,” Roman continued, “it will fully activate. Cannons will fire, spikes will swing, blades will slice! Each part will swing violently up and down! Only the tiniest chance of victory will remain. Are you ready? Because I am about to do it!” He held a remote in his hand and pressed the large red button on it. Frisk closed their eyes, preparing for the pain of dying before respawning at their last save point..

Nothing happened.

“Well, what’s the hold up?” Virgil asked.

“H-hold up? What hold up? I... I’m about to activate it now!” Roman pressed the button yet again. And again. He started spamming it over and over, hoping for something to happen.

“That, uh, doesn’t look very activated,” Virgil commented.

“Well... this challenge... it seems... maybe... too easy to defeat the human with,” Roman improvised. “Yeah! We cannot use this one! I am a prince with standards!”

“You’re not actually a prince…” Virgil mumbled.

“My puzzles are fair, and my traps are expertly cooked!” Roman continued, having not heard Virgil’s comment. “But this method is too direct. No class at all. Away it goes!” And so, the gauntlet disappeared. “Phew…” Roman turned to Frisk. “What are you looking at? This was another decisive victory for Roman!” He turned and walked off, humming to himself joyfully before letting out a sigh.

Frisk ran across the last of the bridge and went up to Virgil.

“I don’t know what he’s gonna do now,” the emo shrugged. “If I were you, I’d make sure I understand blue attacks. I don’t think he has too many more puzzles, so he’s probably gonna resort to fighting.”

“I got it, Verge,” Frisk nodded.

Virgil nodded. “The town’s just over there. Spend some time relaxing. Maybe get some food to keep your health up. Anyway, hopefully I’ll see you later, Frisk. I pray for your survival.”

“Don’t worry, Verge. If I do die, my last words will be a message to Roman, telling him all about that sappy friendship monologue of yours.”

Frisk then proceeded to turn and run before Virgil could respond. It wasn’t long until they came across a sign stood in the snow:

_ Welcome to Snowdin Town! _


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman, now out of puzzles, decides it's time to fight.

**_The sight of such a friendly town fills you with DETERMINATION._ **

**_HP fully restored_ **

**_File Saved_ **

Frisk saved once again after having made their rounds about the town. They had visited the shop where they’d stocked up on food and also bought a bandana with abs drawn on it - the same one the boy in the second picture in Patton’s room had - as well as the other matching tough glove. They’d also taken a nap at the inn, causing them to get 30/20 HP. They looked around the local bar, called Emile’s, named after the very kind owner. They’d also gone to the library (or ‘librarby’, as the sign said) and encountered Virgil and Roman’s house. They’d also met another side their age called Finn, who they could immediately tell was sort of the embodiment of the inner fanboy/girl/gender neutral of people. It was obvious that’s what he represented by the way he talked about ‘Remus’, a side who Roman had mentioned a couple of times before.

Once they had gone through the town, they found themself walking from it, into a blizzard. They braved the storm, pushing onwards until they saw a silhouette ahead of them. It looked like...

“Human!” Roman’s voice called. “Allow me to tell you about some complex feelings. Feelings like... the joy of finding another theatre lover, the admiration for another’s puzzle solving skills, the desire to have a cool, handsome person think you are cool. These feelings... they must be what you are feeling right now!”

“Yes, they are, Roman!” Frisk yelled, giggling.

“I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way,” Roman continued. “After all, I am very great. I don’t ever wonder what having lots of friends is like. I pity you, lonely human. Worry not! You shall be lonely no longer! I, the Great Roman, will be your…” He paused.

“Friend?” Frisk finished.

“...No…” Roman shook his head. “No, this is all wrong... I can’t be your friend! You are a human!”

“Stop discriminating!” Frisk replied.

“I must capture you!”

“Come on, Roman, I don’t want to fight!’

“Then, I can fulfil my lifelong dream! Cool, powerful, popular, incredible! That’s Roman! The newest member of the Royal Guard!”

Frisk found their soul being once again tugged from their chest as the battle commenced. As usual, they had the first move. They checked Roman’s stats.

**_Roman – ATK 23 DEF 23_ **

**_He really likes Disney._ **

“Let’s get down to business, to defeat humans!” Roman sang before sending a bone attack that Frisk easily dodged.

Over their time in Snowdin, Frisk had realised that Roman represented more than just Creativity. He was also the romantic side. This gave Frisk the perfect plan.

“Hey, Roman, did you sit in a pile of sugar? ‘Cause you’ve got a pretty sweet ass!”

“Flirting?! So, you finally reveal your ultimate feelings... Well, I am a prince with standards,” Roman folded his arms.

“I know all the lyrics to every single Disney song.”

“...It seems you’re meeting all my standards.” Roman shook his head. “L-Let’s date later! After I capture you!”

He raised his hand, which suddenly had a samurai sword clutched in it. He outstretched his other hand and another bone attack was sent towards Frisk. However, once again, it was really easy for them to dodge.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Roman,” Frisk insisted.

“So you won’t fight. Well then, let’s see how you handle my fabled blue attack!”

Roman once again sent a bone attack, however, this time, all the bones were blue. Frisk was able to survive easily by staying perfectly still.

“Um, Roman, I think you made a mista- “

They were unable to finish when their soul suddenly turned dark blue and the same colour aura surrounded their body. Gravity suddenly increased on them and they felt themself being pulled down to the floor. They was too distracted to notice a small white bone which hit them in the side.

“You’re blue now!” Roman smirked. “That’s my attack!”

Frisk pulled against the tug, standing tall. “I’m not going to fight you.”

“Behold!” Roman called, sending another attack. A bone came flying towards Frisk. They leapt in the air to dodge it, only to find gravity changing again, allowing them to jump higher than usual, only to be dragged back down again.

They continued jumping over attacks as Roman sent them. They refused to fight as Roman spoke of the glory he would achieve and the attacks he would send.

“Don’t make me use my special attack!” he threatened. “I can almost taste my future popularity! Roman: Head of the Royal Guard, Unparalleled Actor! Remus will be really proud of me, the King will trim a hedge in the shape of my smile, and Virgil… well, he wouldn’t change that much...’

“Aw, you won’t let your fame get in the way of your friendshi- OW!” Frisk was interrupted as a bone hit them in the side.

“I’ll have lots of friends,” Roman continued. “But... how will I know if people sincerely like me? Someone like you is really rare. And it’ll be kind of hard to date after you’re captured and sent away.”

A smile appeared on Frisk’s face. It seemed like they were finally getting through to him!

“Urgh! Who cares?! Give up!”

Or not.

Roman continued to send attacks, threatening to use his special attack over and over. Then, finally...

“Behold! My special attack!”

Frisk prepared themself for the worst, ready to leap and duck their way to victory. However, nothing came. Both they and Roman looked around confused until, suddenly, they both saw a small white dog sitting in the snow, gnawing on a large bone.

“What the hell?! That’s my special attack!” Roman yelled, pointing his sword at the dog. “Hey, do you hear me?! Give me back my special attack!”

In response. the dog got to its feet and ran off, dragging the bone along with it.

“Come back here! No! You...!” Roman sighed as the dog disappeared into the trees. He turned back to Frisk, trying to keep his confident demeanour up. “Oh well. I’ll just use a really wonderous regular attack.”

And so the attack was sent, and it was hard. They had to jump and duck and dodge so many bones. They had to leap over bones that formed the words ‘Chiller than someone with a SQUIP’.

“The bones don’t lie,” Roman smirked.

“Uh... Is that a reference? I don’t get it.”

Roman let out an offended gasp. “Have you not seen or listened to Be More Chill?” Frisk shook their head. “We have much to discuss. We need to get together and listen to musical soundtracks sometime! It’ll be so fun!” He paused, before coughing and straightening up. “But, anyway, back to capturing you! Try to get past this!”

Frisk’s eyes widened as they watched the attack that was heading towards them. There was a long line of bones, zero gaps between any of them, before them and then one final giant bone, reaching taller than the trees around them. Frisk summoned all the determination they had and ran towards the bones, leaping into the air. They soared up, up, up into the air, barely grazing the giant bone with their foot.

“Yes! I did it!”

Then their eyes travelled down.

“Uh oh.”

They dropped.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- “

_ THUD! _

“OW! Ow ow ow ow!!”

Their HP was down to 2. Nursing their leg, which was bent in a direction legs are not supposed to bend, Frisk reached for their inventory. They ate a cinnamon bunny, praying that the healing power the food underground possessed worked for broken legs. Surprisingly, it did as they were immediately healed, their HP going back up to 17. Good timing, as there was one final bone slowly approaching, and Frisk was healed just in time to jump over it.

Roman was panting, hands on his knees. It seemed using that much magic power had taken a lot out of him. He straightened up, letting out a long breath and fixing his hair with a comb he’d summoned.

“Well... It’s clear... you can’t *huff* defeat me. Yeah, I can see you shaking in your boots! Therefore I, the Great Roman… elect to… to grant you pity...”

Frisk let out a sigh of relief. “Mercy accepted.” Their soul disappeared back into their chest. They looked back up at Roman.

The creative side had turned away, his back to Frisk. He let out a sigh. “I can’t even stop someone as weak as you... Remus will be so disappointed in me…. And my friend quantity will remain stagnant...’

“I’ll be your friend,” Frisk replied.

Roman turned around, his frown morphing into a smile. “You want to be friends with me? Well then... I guess I can make an allowance for you! Wow…. we haven’t even had our first date, and I’ve already managed to hit the friendzone!” He chuckled. “Who knew all I needed to make friends was to give people a bunch of puzzles and then fight them? You’ve taught me a lot, human.”

“Frisk.”

“Hm?”

“My name. It’s Frisk. You don’t have to keep calling me ‘human’ if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, okay then, Frisk. I hereby grant you permission to pass through! And I shall give you directions to the surface.” He cleared his throat. “Continue forward on your quest until you reach the end of the cavern. Then, when you reach the Capital, cross the barrier. That’s the magical seal trapping us all underground. Anything can enter through it, but nothing can exit. Well, except a being with a powerful soul, like you! That’s why the King wants to acquire a human. He wants to open the barrier with soul power. Then us sides can return to the surface. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you... To reach the exit, you will have to pass through the King’s castle. The King of all sides, he is... a big warm pushover! Everybody loves that guy! I am certain if you just say, ‘Excuse me, Mr Sanders, can I please go home?’ he’ll guide you right to the barrier himself. Anyway, that’s enough talking. I’ll be at home for now. Feel free to come by for that date.”

“Bye!”

Frisk waved as Roman bowed before walking away, humming to himself.

Frisk headed back into Snowdin. They stocked up on food, napped at the inn again and talked to a few of the locals again before heading back to Roman and Virgil’s house.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk and Roman go out for a date.

Roman was waiting outside his house, checking his reflection in a mirror. Upon the sight of Frisk, he threw the mirror behind him. Before it hit the ground, it suddenly disappeared.

“Frisk, you came!” he grinned. “So you’re really serious about this... Well, I guess I’ll have to take you someplace really special, a place I like to spend a lot of time! Come along!”

The prince took the human’s hand and led them back to the centre of Snowdin. Frisk looked around excitedly as they walked. Where was Roman taking them?

That’s when Roman turned and went back the way he came.

“Ta da! My house! Come on in!”

Frisk chuckled, following Roman inside. It was a cosy little place. When you stepped in through the door, the kitchen was to your right. Past that was the living room. A grey l-shape couch sat with a coffee table facing the television in the corner, which Roman stood in front of. Next to the TV were stairs leading the next floor. Looking up, Frisk could see one door that was bright red with a picture of a golden crown on it, imprinted with the name ‘Roman’. Another door was purple with a picture of a black and grey thundercloud, imprinted with ‘Virgil’. What was strange was that a purple and black flame aura seeping through underneath the door.

"Hey! Get out of there, you mangy mutt!" Roman suddenly cried out. Frisk turned to see the same white dog from their battle running out from the kitchen, a jar in its mouth. Roman chased it as it ran out of the front door. "No...! Now Logan's gonna be annoyed we don't have Crofters when he comes over next. Full jars rarely fall in the dump from the surface world, so it's not like we'll get any replacements before he comes over next..."

"Then maybe don't leave the doors open so dogs can't get in the house and steal it!" Virgil's voice suddenly called from upstairs. "Otherwise you'll keep getting into these... jams."

This was followed by a 'whomp-whomp-whomp' of a trombone. Frisk chuckled as Roman groaned. "Virgil, stop plaguing my life with incidental music!"

"I thought you liked musicals."

"This is very different and you know it!" Roman sighed, before closing the front door. He looked back to Frisk. “Well, if you’re finished looking around we could go upstairs and begin the date?" He suggested, adjusting his sash. Frisk nodded, smiling. Roman took their hand and led the way up the stairs.

Roman’s room was an explosion of Disney and theatre. Posters covered the walls, the bed was a four poster, the window had velvet curtains. He even had a freaking chandelier. It was so extra, so Roman.

“So, shall we start the date?” Roman asked.

“Yep!” Frisk replied.

“Okay, dating start! Now, from my knowledge of romance and love, there are simple steps to follow for a successful date. I have memorised the dating manual at the library perfectly, so there's no chance of failure. Now, we’ve already completed the first step of me asking you on a date. The next step is to put on nice clothes to show you care…” He paused, looking up and down at Frisk. “Wait a minute... That bandana, those gloves... You’re wearing clothing and accessorising for me right now! Not only that, but earlier. No! Could it be... you wanted to date me from the very beginning?!’”

Frisk didn’t want to let Roman down, so replied with a “Yes!”

“You chose to wear clothing, today of all days! Was your interest in me... predestined?! Oh, Frisk, your dating power is so strong!”

Suddenly, a metre appeared above Frisk’s head, labelled ‘DATING POWER’. The blue bar filled slightly.

“But, don’t think you’ve bested me yet! I am the master of romance! You can’t even spell romance without my name!” Roman brought Frisk’s attention back to him. “For you see, I too can wear clothing. In fact, I’ll head into my walk-in closet now. You may need a moment to prepare yourself for my beauty.”

He ran through the door to his closet. After a couple of minutes of shuffling from the other side, the door began to swing open.

“What do you think of this?!”

Frisk’s jaw dropped. They had no idea what to say. Roman was looking fabulous.

He had traded his prince outfit for a literal ballgown. A scarlet gown with a golden pattern on the chest, and he wore matching shoulder length red gloves. Seriously, he looked like he was a Disney princess and he was owning it.

“What do you think of my secret style?” he asked.

“I... love it!”

“A genuine compliment! Your dating power is increasing yet again!” Roman paused as the bar filled. “Wait a second. You do not fully comprehend the power of this dress. Therefore, your statement is invalid!” The bar dropped. “This date cannot progress any further unless you find my secret, which won’t happen! I have hidden it well...”

Frisk looked up and down. Looking at the outfit, there was only one place where something could be hidden. They pointed at his skirt.

“My skirt...? My skirt!” Roman lifted the skirt of his dress slightly, revealing a gift wrapped in red wrapping paper with a golden ribbon. “Well then, you found my secret. I suppose I have no choice. It’s a present for you!” He pushed the gift forward to Frisk with his foot. They knelt down and unwrapped it to reveal a CD. “Do you know what it is?”

“I’m pretty sure I do,” Frisk smiled.

“A CD of my beautiful voice!” Roman smiled. “That’s what you’re thinking, right? But oh so wrong! This is no ordinary CD. It’s filled with covers of the greatest songs of the stage and Disney! And with a finale of a mashup including I Won’t Say I’m In Love and many other Disney songs. Frisk, it is time to end this! There’s no way this can go any further unless you listen to that CD!!”

Frisk took the CD over to Roman’s CD player and slotted it in. They pressed play and then started the final song on it.

 _“If there’s a prize for rotten judgement_ _  
_ _I guess I’ve already won that_   
_All those days chasing down a daydream_ _  
_ That’s ancient history, been there done that!”

Frisk continued listening to the entire song. Roman took the main part, of course, but the back up vocals sounded like it was composed of four different voices. The first was low and gravely, undoubtedly Virgil. The next was aggressive, loud and passionate, as well as slightly nasally. The third sounded a bit more reluctant, just speaking the words at first. However, he started getting more into it as it went on and started to actually sing. The final voice sounded silky smooth, stressing the S sounds.

The song came to an end, and Frisk was spellbound. Everything about that was marvellous. The harmonies, the way all the songs flowed together, Roman’s riffs, it was incredible. Frisk turned back to Roman, their amazement clear on her face.

“What a passionate expression…” Roman grinned, his eyes sparkling. “You must really love my voice, and by extension, me! Maybe even more than I do! That’s… that’s…!”

The dating power bar filled and filled and... broke through the end in a flash of bright light!

“Frisk... It’s clear now. You’re madly in love with me. Everything you do, everything you say, it’s all been for my sake. Frisk, I want you to be happy too. It’s time for me to express my feelings. It’s time that I told you, I, Roman... I... um…”

Roman paused, running a hand through his hair, avoiding eye contact with Frisk.

“Boy, is it hot in here or is it just me?” He paused. “Oh, shoot. Frisk, I... I’m sorry. I don’t like you the way you like me. Romantically, I mean. I probably should have told you earlier, I am very VERY gay. I mainly like dudes. I just thought that since you flirted with me, it was only courteous to invite you on a date. Maybe I could also be attracted to a non-binary person too, so I figured I’d see what could happen. But, alas, I, the Great Roman, am unable to match your passion for me. I feel just the same as before, and instead, by dating you, I have only drawn you deeper into your intense love for me! A dark prison of passion with no escape... How could I do this to my dear friend?! ...No! Wait! That’s wrong! I can’t fail at anything! Frisk, I will help you through these trying times! I’ll keep being your fabulous, beautiful friend! And act like this never happened. After all, you are very great. It would be tragic to lose your friendship. So, please, don’t cry because I won’t kiss you, because I cannot change who I am and who I love.”

“It’s okay, Roman,” Frisk insisted. “I’m glad we can be friends. This is probably for the best anyway, you’re, um... way too old for me. I’m a kid, it’d be kinda weird.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Though sides are technically ageless, I'm full developed and you're not, so... yeah, it would be weird,” Roman nodded.

“Really? You're ageless?”

“Yes. When a new trait appears in a human, the side representing it appears in the Underground, just a baby. They get taken in and raised by another side or sides who wish to have a child. Sides grow like ordinary humans until they are fully grown, at which point, aging just stops. We never grow old and elderly or die of old age. It’s how Janus has been King since before the war, despite it being centuries ago. There are only two ways sides can die: either by being murdered or falling down.”

“Falling down?” Frisk inquired. “What does that mean?”

“Basically, the less humans a trait appears in, the weaker the side representing it becomes. If they become too weak, they enter a comatose state known as having ‘fallen down’. If they continue to get weaker, they die,” Roman explained. “There’s no known cure.”

“That’s so sad…” Frisk sighed. Then, they suddenly let out a yawn.

“Oh, if you're tired, you can stay the night if you wish,” Roman offered. “It’ll save you from having to pay for the inn. But you’ll have to sleep on the couch…”

“That’s fine. Thanks, Roman.”

“It’s nothing, Frisk. I’ll get you some blankets and pillows." He suddenly gasped, clapping his hands excitedly. "We can make a pillow fort!”

“Pillow fort?” Virgil was leaning in the doorway. “I’m in. Also, nice dress, Princey.”

“Verge! Perfect! Get your duvet and pillows, we are going to make the greatest pillow fort ever! But first, PJs!”

Frisk smiled at the two sides as Roman started grabbing his pyjamas to get changed and Virgil headed back to his bedroom. Frisk left Roman’s room and headed downstairs to give the two sides privacy.

They’d only been in the Underground for two days, but they loved it, and they certainly loved the people here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering how I published eight chapters in one day, no, I'm not a superhuman writer. This is a new and improved version of an old fic of mine. These are the chapters I had already completed in that fic, only changed and improved. From now on, they'll be VERY much slower coming.


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